


Confidential Memorandum M1995-62442-867-7

by PrettyPinkCupcake



Series: SOW Party Memoranda and related documents (Rigel Black Chronicles) [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Rigel Black Chronicles - murkybluematter
Genre: Department of Mysteries Memorandum, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Gen, Inspired by The Rigel Black Chronicles, Riddle's Arithmancy Matching Algorithm, Set after chapter 12 in the Futile Facade, murkybluematter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26382574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyPinkCupcake/pseuds/PrettyPinkCupcake
Summary: [Fanfiction of murkybluematter's Rigel Black Chronicles.  Set after chapter 12 of Futile Facade].“There is an Arithmancy algorithm," he said quietly, his voice nearly a whisper. "Lord Riddle has been working on it for some time. My parents say he will match the scions of the old families to optimum candidates. They didn't understand it well enough to explain everything, but their impression is that Lord Riddle can calculate which matches will result in the most powerful offspring. The older a line is, the more important it is that they conform to his plans. Do you understand, Rigel?”- Chapter 11 of Futile Facade by murkybluematter.The Department of Mysteries has applied the Arithmantic Matching Algorithm to Dark Purebloood Heirs at the greatest risk of the Fade.  These are the results.
Series: SOW Party Memoranda and related documents (Rigel Black Chronicles) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954477
Comments: 13
Kudos: 104
Collections: Rigel Black Chronicles Appreciation





	Confidential Memorandum M1995-62442-867-7

**Author's Note:**

> This will only make sense to fans of murkybluematter's Pureblood Pretense, Serpentine Subterfuge, Ambiguous Artifice and the Futile Facade, as it relates to key plot points in the Futile Facade, namely Riddle's Arithmancy Algorithm to match Pureblood Heirs to optimum candidates.
> 
> If you haven't read these works, you've missed something significant in the world of Harry Potter FanFiction, so what are you waiting for? Read them!

## Confidential Memorandum M1995-62442-867-7

_Protected by the For-Your-Eyes-Only Charm_

**To** : Lord Riddle, Leader of the SOW Party

 **From** : Augustus Rookwood, Head Unspeakable, Department of Mysteries

 **Date** : 2 May 1995

 **Issue** : Results from the application of the Arithmancy Matching Algorithm

* * *

#### Key Findings

  * Britain’s magical population is at crisis-point; immediate action is required to reverse the population decline and prevent the extinction of several politically powerful SOW Party families. The number of Dark Pureblood families at risk of line extinction is far greater than the number of Light Pureblood families.
  * SOW Party families most at risk include the Lestrange, Malfoy and Black families. The Rosier, Parkinson, Selwyn, Rookwood, Flint and Bulstrode families have a lesser but not inconsiderable risk of line extinction if corrective action is not taken by the current generation. 
  * The Arithmancy Matching Algorithm (the Algorithm) was applied to numerous combinations and permutations of Pureblood-Pureblood and Pureblood-Halfblood pairings. All pairings involving Halfbloods produced more and more magically powerful offspring than did the Pureblood only pairings.
  * Application of the Algorithm indicates that the most advantageous matches between SOW Party Pureblood Heirs at greatest risk of the Fade are with Halfblood Heiress Harriet Potter. This does not align with known facts about Harriet Potter.



* * *

#### Background

_Magical Britain’s population crisis_

Confidential Memorandum M1995-62442-867-4 reported on the serious decline in Britain’s magical population. The magical population is at crisis point and the Dark Pureblood families that comprise the elite of the SOW Party’s membership are the most severely affected. 

For many centuries, the wizarding population had been fairly stable. Wizarding families had been producing, on average, 2.4 children. This had been sufficient to enable the continuation of all the important family lines. 

The increasing prevalence of the Fade has led to birth rates well below population replacement levels amongst Pureblood Society. Whilst it has been a rarity for families to be unable to produce magical heirs, the Fade has been particularly virulent amongst the current generation of Pureblood families, with few families having more than one child. 

Many families now have a single branch remaining, and there are few in the current generation who have magical siblings. Old families will die out unless the future generation is both prolific and magically powerful. 

_Use of arithmantic analysis to combat the crisis_

Arithmantic analysis has found that there is a greater risk of the Fade when at least one parent comes from a family that was four-or-more generations pure. Children with at least one Muggle or Muggleborn parent are unaffected by the disease. These families can grow while the purer families are faced with extinction. 

The only currently viable solution, distasteful as it may be, is for families at the greatest risk of the Fade to pair with a Halfblood to produce their next generation of offspring.

As previously advised, the Department has been developing an Arithmancy Matching Algorithm (the Algorithm) that will determine which pairings are potentially the most prolific with the most powerful magical offspring.

* * *

#### Current Position

_Application of the Arithmancy Matching Algorithm - Methodology_

Purebloods included in the study included the Heirs from families previously found to be most at risk – i.e. the Lestrange, Malfoy and Black families. (The current Head of House Black may have flirted with Dumbledore’s Light faction, but that does not mean that Heir Black is not a Dark Pureblood and worthy of inclusion in the SOW party). 

The Rosier, Parkinson, Selwyn, Rookwood, Flint and Bulstrode families have a lesser but not inconsiderable risk of line extinction if corrective action is not taken by the current generation. For purpose of maintaining a control sample and gender balance, the Davis, Greengrass and Jones Heiresses were also included in the analysis. 

The total Pureblood sample is 12: six Heirs and six Heiresses.

Developing a list of 12 Halfbloods likely to be of acceptable social status was a challenging proposition. Unsurprisingly, given the exclusion of Halfbloods and Muggleborns from many aspects of Society, there are more party Purebloods at serious risk of the Fade than there are acceptable Halfbloods who could be considered as marriage partners. Even fewer are the number of Dark Halfbloods, particularly those supportive of the SOW party. 

First considered were those Halfbloods with strong links to Pureblood Society: Nymphadora Tonks (daughter of Andromeda Tonks nee Black), Daphne Cresswell (Lady Greengrass) and Book of Gold Heiress Harriet Potter (daughter of Head Auror Lord Potter). Heiress Potter is currently betrothed to Heir Black. 

Additional Halfbloods considered for the purpose of the analysis included: Simon Bell, Jennifer Brown, Aileen Ross (also known as Antiope), Lydia Cresswell, Phillip Winbourne, Joshua McGarity, Bradley Parsons, Stephan Williams, and Kyle Filmont. 

Further details on the ancestry and societal status of each Halfblood can be provided on request, but many have links to Dumbledore’s Light faction. 

Key input variables for the Algorithm (age, gender, ancestry (parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc up to great-great-great-great grandparents – i.e. 6 generations), magical affinity, magical spectrum power level and family history with the Fade) were required for each Pureblood and Halfblood. 

To increase the accuracy of the Algorithm’s output by ensuring the best possible input data, the Department developed a divination ritual that incorporated all input variables directly into the Algorithm. (Significant input variables, particularly those for Halfbloods, were either unknown or unconfirmed.) Comparing the results from manually entering known variables into the Algorithm confirmed the ritual’s efficacy. 

The outcome of each Pureblood-Halfblood pairing (144 options) was entered into the results matrix. For control purposes, the Algorithm was then re-run to consider the outcomes for Pureblood-Pureblood pairings (36 options). 

_General Findings_

The Department’s previous arithmantic analyses regarding the production of more powerful magic offspring has been confirmed, with the most powerful magical offspring produced when: 

      * The age difference between the couple is less than five years.
      * The couple is a traditional male-female couple.
      * Magical affinities of the couple are different. This can be light-neutral, light-dark, or dark-neutral. 
      * There is a mix of raw and refined magic – Pureblood-Halfblood pairings were more likely to produce prolific and magically powerful offspring than Pureblood-Pureblood pairings.



_Specific Findings_

The complete Pureblood-Halfblood and Pureblood-Pureblood matrixes are included in Appendix 1, but findings of note include:

      * The most advantageous matches for SOW Party Purebloods at greatest risk of the Fade are with Halfblood Heiress Harriet Potter. Pairing Heiress Potter with any of the six Party Pureblood Heirs in the analysis appears likely to produce both prolific and magically powerful offspring. 
      * The most magically powerful offspring arose from pairing Potter with Lestrange, followed by Rosier-Potter, Black-Potter, Malfoy-Potter, Rookwood-Potter and Flint-Potter.
      * Two Pureblood-Pureblood pairings remained viable (but only just): Malfoy-Parkinson and Rookwood-Selwyn.
      * More prolific and magically powerful offspring are achieved by any Malfoy-Halfblood, and any Rookwood-Halfblood pairing.
      * Rosier, Rookwood and Flint paired better with Halfblood Nymphadora Tonks than she did with her closer relatives (cousins Lestrange and Malfoy and second cousin Black).
      * There was not much to distinguish between the results of pairings between the Pureblood Heirs and the other Halfbloods (half-sisters Daphne and Lydia Cresswell, Jennifer Brown and Aileen Ross).
      * The results of pairings between the female Purebloods and the male Halfbloods were better than any of the Pureblood-Pureblood pairings.



* * *

#### Comment

It is suggested that the determination of the most advantageous pairings will be an iterative process. 

It is possible that there are Halfbloods that were not included in this analysis that may produce better results than some of the Halfbloods that were included. It is believed further investigation is still required. 

The outcome of pairings between Pureblood Heirs and Heiress Potter, and pairings between Heir Black and the Halfbloods in the study was unexpected and does not align with known facts about Potter or Black. 

Potter’s reported magical output - yellow-green on the Magical Power Spectrum, is average at best, and on par with the other Halfbloods. It is not consistent with the extraordinary results that the Algorithm suggests would arise from a Pureblood-Potter pairing. 

Conversely, Heir Black’s pairing results are considerably less than would be expected given the observed level of magic and fortitude that Black has been displaying during the Tournament. 

It is noteworthy that the only significant deviations between the ritually entered and manually entered input variable data were for Arcturus Black and Harriet Potter. All other results were within accepted tolerance levels. This suggests that some of the manually entered data for Black and Potter was incorrect. Perhaps further investigation is required. 

* * *

#### Recommendation

For noting. 

* * *

For noting. For noting?!? Gutless wonders. Months and months of research and they’re too scared to make a real recommendation. Couldn’t Augustus see that the time for equivocation, for “noting”, was long past, and that action was needed now?

Several vases shattered in a burst of magical anger as Tom Riddle put down the memorandum. The house elves would have to clean up the mess later. He was not happy. 

Oh, the results of the arithmantic algorithm were largely as he had expected, (excepting of course the strange findings regarding that damnable brat Rigel Black and his equally annoying pseudo cousin, Harriet Potter), but he still wasn’t happy. 

It was one thing to talk broadly about the strategic aims of his proposed marriage law; it was quite another to investigate the detail of what those strategies required. 

And delivering and implementing the law to save those rich, ungrateful, inbred idiots from themselves, was something else entirely. A whole new level of difficulty. Made worse by the extreme lack of acceptable Halfbloods, of course. It was almost enough to want the Potter girl replicated. If the data was correct, that is. 

He noted Augustus’s handwritten plea not to disrupt the upcoming wedding of the Rookwood Heir to the Selwyn Heiress, and the particular attention that was drawn within the memorandum to the ‘viability’ of Pureblood-Pureblood pairings involving the Rookwood and Malfoy Heirs. 

Self-serving cretins. Imbeciles. Couldn’t they see that this was just putting off the problem for another generation? By which point it might be impossible to fix. 

Idly Riddle pondered what it was that had led to the exclusion of the mention of a Lestrange-Pureblood pairing in the memorandum. If he recalled correctly, the Lestrange Heir was Augustus’s godson, and he’d thought they were close; he wondered why the Unspeakable had thrown Lestrange under the Halfblood bus. 

Was it the fact that the numbers couldn’t be manipulated or was there more to it? Had Bellatrix been particularly obnoxious towards Augustus lately?

Damnit. He’d have to check the numbers himself. And maybe pay a bit more attention to Potter and Black. After all, there must be a reason for the unexpected results. 

Although... Riddle wasn’t completely certain that he could trust the competence of the Unspeakables, or their data. After all, the Unspeakables still hadn’t been able to replicate the new brewing technique developed by the (then) thirteen-year-old Potter chit. 

Never mind the personal interests they wished to protect. Augustus’s handwritten comment about his son’s wedding was far from professional. And it he could see Lucius’s fingerprints all over the comment about the Malfoy Heir. 

Maybe he’d have to talk to Cassius Parkinson instead. Cassius had a Masters in Arithmancy, and a reputation for being an intellectual. 

Severus was also good for advice and was a wellspring of magical knowledge far beyond his Potions Mastery. Severus might also be able to shed some light on the Black-Potter anomaly. Not to mention that Severus was at least capable of replicating a brewing technique developed by a teenager, unlike Augustus and his fellow Unspeakables. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
